Welcome to the third instalment of Brew Copy's Food And Drink Copywriting Of The Week.

In short, the idea is this:

I go into the world of food and drink and find examples of incredibly effective copy, from personality-driven brand voices, damn good package storytelling and effective e-commerce websites to sales emails and product descriptions. Then I break down what makes it so good so that you can apply it to your brand.

Introducing...

Seedlip is the original non-alcoholic spirit. Founder Ben Branson started the company in 2015 to change the way the world drinks. At the time non-alcoholic alternatives were sweet and gross. So Ben created a range of sophisticated, nuanced non-alcoholic options for discerning folk.

I heard about them when I was working at a boutique liquor store. We had stocked them for Christmas, but we sold out before December. The popularity was no surprise though.

There was a mighty gap in the market, for one.

The product is amazing too. With Seedlip, you can make cocktails as nuanced as the classics and stay coherent.

Plus, the brand knows how to communicate its value through storytelling, from the website’s origin story and active journal to its thoughtful online newsletter.

The joy of newsletters

In the food and drink world, newsletters have a few roles. One, they allow a brand to amass a list of email subscribers.

Two, as Instagram and Facebook algorithms become busier and less reliable, email continues to be the reliable way to do permission marketing and sell more products.

Three, build true fans. In the E-commerce world, people often sign up to your list before they buy a product. So newsletters help us establish our value in the market, build connection, delight folk and ultimately encourage a person to move from attention to loyalty in the customer journey.

Seedlip does this better than most.

Personal

The adage people buy from people, not businesses is the reason most clever brands make copy personal. One of the best ways to do this of course is to have the founder of the company address people. Saying ‘we’ is appropriate when communicating as a team, but in something as personal as an email, writing from the perspective of first person is more effective, when building a personal rapport, that is. So when you sign up to Seedlip, you get a message like this:



Founder Ben Branson is writing to you. Feel important? 


Notice how the emails that follow say ‘Ben from Seedlip’. Here, you’re getting the personal touch of a human, but the credibility of the actual company. The best of both worlds. 

Lastly, the subject line is clear and informative. There are no cheap sales tactics. You know exactly what you’re getting into when you click on it. Which is the way subject lines should be BTW. So they aren’t deceptive, these tag lines, but they still incite curiosity in us, which is essential if you want to increase the percentage of open rates.  
Speaking of no cheap sales tactics, check out the percentage of promotional emails, compared with the story-driven emails. Take note. That’s a good ratio. When promotional emails out number story-driven ones, you start attracting folk who like you for deals, instead of liking you for you. Also, notice Seedlip has strategically emitted Ben’s name from the sales emails too, so that personal connection and trust with the founder isn’t compromised.

Welcome email

The welcome email takes a different approach. Instead of telling a story or championing a product, it tells us, in an almost editorial-fashion, the subjects the newsletters grapple with: Nature, community, and cocktails.

The titles are backed by well-curated photography and nice positioning statements:

“As a company rooted in nature we, at Seedlip, love sharing little-known facts about the wonders of the natural world.
In our monthly series, we ask questions to inspiring chefs, bartenders, innovators & friends.
We’ll share delicious recipes & short masterclasses on how to use our non-alcoholic spirits.”

In doing so, Seedlip is showing us what they value, as a brand. This way they can build affiliation and create extra value with those who have a similar worldview. This, of course, should be at the heart of a content strategy.

The email is an example of clever brand messaging translated into thoughtful newsletters that achieve the goals above. The newsletter’s storytelling inadvertently positions the brand and sells the product. It encourages people to sign up and allows the brand to directly connect with, and foster, a community online.

The main take-aways

• A thoughtful newsletter allows you to champion your value, add extra value and build an online following
• Build your newsletter around your brand messaging pillars
• Integrate your values into your content strategy
• Build loyalty with the soft sell. Tell a story. Allow your strategically crafted storytelling to inadvertently sell your product
• Be personal/ write in first-person
• Subject line should be clear but incite curiosity
• Messaging is about photos too

That’s a wrap

If you liked this Food and Drink Copy of the Week, sign up for the next one HERE and get a 5-day email series.

Warmly,

Jayden O’Neil

P.S.

If you need a professional to help you create a newsletter for your brand, give me a holla: jayden@brewcopy.com